Although I'm not that interested in the K-pop/modern styles of dance, something that has been trending in the Chinese music scene lately is the use of interpretive dance in Chinese music videos. (I think this has something to do with Ed Sheehan's use of alternative dance styles in his music video for "Thinking out loud"). Interpretive/contemporary dance is something that I really appreciate, having been a ballet dancer myself for 15 years. Thus, here are a few of my favourites of the moment I'd like to share with you!

If you have any you'd like to share with me, comment down below!

Dawen Wang-Not Qualified

Dawen's fusion of the classical genre with pop music in his song "Not Qualified" is a perfect accompaniment for the use of interpretive dance! And the dancers Ash & Lily did an amazing job too, executing a dance that represented the loneliness and vulnerability of the song. Intermingling the use of suspense and abandon with slow, nuanced movements, it was certainly a pleasure to watch as they danced live in time to Dawen accompanying on the piano in the video.

Men Envy Children-This is not the love I want

Taking a more sultry approach to interpretive dance, Men Envy Children's lead singer Mify Chen who is actually a professionally trained dance teacher shines in this film-noir music video where she incorporates fluid, elegant movements into a storyline involving herself as a third party with two other dancers. beautifully shot, the dance moves of the three dancers involved hint unsubtly at sexual themes, mixing lust with abandon in suspenseful motions that are pieced together perfectly and full of meaning.

Gem Tang-Therefore

Although it's a little creepy that the guy is wearing a mask to me, the music video for Gem's song "Therefore於是" is thematically a very interesting mix of wild wild west imagery with a Spanish influence to it. An interesting visual experience helped by the interpretive dancing used! Although i'm not entirely sure what the story created has to do with the song...

"Fan Fan's Thanksgiving" Gallery

Even being named by TIME Magazine one of the best music videos of the year, Mandopop princess Jolin Tsai's new single <Play> is definitely taking the world by storm. But not only has it been revolutionary in its sound and its idea, it has also had a rapid and catalytic effect on the Taiwanese music community, with many up-and-coming artists drawing inspiration from the original to create their own radically different yet wonderful works.

Here we have four versions of the same song-but who did it best? Read to the end to hear my verdict.

Jolin Tsai-Original

Of course, Jolin's original is mindblowingly good. I've never been that big a fan of EDM, but Jolin's music is one of my only exceptions to that rule. With a radical fusion of hip-hop rapping with an EDM beat, Jolin's created a truly revolutionary song to go with lyrics that are in-your-face, sharp yet sweet, and a much-needed criticism of Taiwanese society all in one. And truly there would be no one better than Jolin to be able to master this version of the song; her sweet and resonant vocals and unique pronunciation hits all the right notes for me, making this truly the most show-stopping track on her album.

Shan Hay

As for indie and cover artist Shan Hay, it just amazes me how he was able to find the inspiration to strip down such a heavy track to find the core of the melody, taking it out and building his own acoustic version around it. I do believe that it was this cover that inspired many others to start playing around with Jolin's song, trying to create their own cover of the song that would show their support for the ideas for the song while letting their unique creative musical voices show. Shan's version is more reminiscent of R n B David Tao's works, with a hint of humour and full of warmth. Could be a complete song in it's own right!

Janice Yan, Li You-ting, Karen

Now this cover of Play is something else altogether. Janice, You-ting and Karen have instead created a funky, blues-inspired cover of Jolin's <Play> with a strong element of attitude infused into the entire song. It also draws influence from Queen's works by adding a completely different section that instead is inspired by a more disco, 80's theme before transitioning back into a faster version of their original arrangement seamlessly. They've also got this 'Supremes'-inspired backing style in there which I really love, drawing also from the Motown genre at its best.

Dawen and Gentleman have worked together with KKBOX here to create yet another astoundingly good and different cover of Jolin's <Play>!

I have to say, one of the most creative and awesome covers I've seen in a while. Not only because it was shot in an elevator(who would've thought?), but also because of it's complete rearrangement of the song; this time into an acapella/beatboxing/jazzed-up version of the original! Well done guys! This song sure does seem to be inspiring lots of artists to try their hand at creating new sounds, which I think is one of the most radical things I love about it.

Verdict

I have to say, all of these covers are immensely creative and of a highly professional standard. But as the princess of mandopop, I believe it was Jolin's encompassing of the song which made it stand out so much, and gave all these artists the challenge AND the inspiration to create something very different, yet very personal from the song; their own reflection of how they see Taiwan. I don't know how she did it, but Jolin's impact is absolutely astounding. It's like she just gave us a blank sheet of paper charged with creative electricity for these artists to wrap their heads around and to create something different, something new. I have never seen so many amazing covers of the same song before. Clearly the winner here is Jolin, not only for her wonderful song, but also for the impact her song has had on Taiwanese society.